Toshiba's Libretto U100 - Return of the Mini Laptop

Posted by Matthew Brodsky

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Tipping the scales at a miniscule 2.2 pounds, the Libretto U100 is as small as a kneeling ant, yet it's 1.20GHz Intel Pentium M processor packs a powerful one inch punch. An option for those looking for a wireless laptop with ultimate portability, the Libretto U100 is equipped with a 60 GB hard drive, 7.2 inch high resolution widescreen, and plenty of battery stamina, almost 4 hours in fact.

Image of Libretto U100The firstLibretto was released back in 1997, and had a form factor ascompact as a VHS video cassette. Yet it was a fully functioningnotebook computer, complete with a built in hard disk, tinykeyboard and a windows 95 operating system. Now Toshiba is re-launching its subnotebook, the Libretto U100. Weighing 2.16 pounds with a 60GB hard drive, the libretto promises portability without compromising computing.
New miniaturizing technology makes this fusion possible. Toshibadesigned the Libretto's motherboard nearly one-third smaller. Themanufacturers even got the 802.11b/g PCI wireless card into theact, shrinking it by half. This leaves room for a full-sized 1.20GHz Intel Pentium Mprocessor (2MB L2 cache and 400MHz FSB) and 512MB DD 333MHZ RAM.And there's still space enough for almost every port under thesun - 2 USBs, an IEEE-1394, 10/100 Ethernet, LAN and modem ports,a docking connector, and an RGB mini connector.

For such a small package, the Libretto U100 offers some big-timenew technologies, as well. Toshibafitted it with its Hard Disk Drive protection system.

Using a 3D accelerometer, this system can perceive suddenaccelerations, such as falls, bounces, or any other unnaturalmaneuvers for an inanimate object. If such an accelerationoccurs, the hard drive goes into its figurative shell, parkingthe hard drive head until the coast is clear. For user identityprotection, the mini laptop also features fingerprintauthentication technology.

Even with all of these attractions, Toshiba's U100 still has to facethe major question mark that hangs over all tiny notebooks: itsdisplay. Toshiba answers with an unprecedented 7.2-inch widescreen LCDdisplay with WXGA (1280x768) native resolution. They implementedanother mini-laptop milestone, an LED backlight that illuminatesthe LCD further.

Toshiba brought back the Libretto U100 in part to celebrate the20th anniversary of the first laptop. Consumers may be the oneswith a reason to celebrate.

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